I just got a camera with 2 lenses I know that I will be adding items over time so I want something that has extra room.Besides buying a camera bag what other options do I have?
I would prefer not to buy a camera bag as it would draw attention to thieves.So I was wondering what about some army surplus bag?????



                                                        Thanks

Ultimately you will probably have multiple bags.

I have a Think Tank Glass Taxi backpack for transporting the equipment.
Among others, I also have a Crumpler 7 million dollar home bag when I want to limit the carried equipment.

So long as stuff is protected, you can run whatever really.  I custom cut some foam to fit my gear inside a $15 Amazon backpack for a while.  These days, if I'm travelling I keep my camera gear in a Pelican backpack or Nikon messenger bag.

For discreet stuff, I picked up a couple Allen reel/fishing gear bags a few years back.  They have a velcro liner and dividers you can put wherever and it works great for stuff  Padded as hell too.

But yeah, you'll end up with different bags.  Some discreet (I use a Think Geek tablet messenger bag when I'm in Seattle) some heavily padded, etc.

This

I use an old Jansport pack for two lenses.  Say one of the big mega lenses and a smaller lens in it's own case.
or
An Eddie Bauer laptop backpack that can hold a mega lens and three or four other lenses I might need.
It has room for a big flash, water bottle, Bersa .380 more misc BS.
Look like any other yuppie backpack up here in Blue State Hell.

I've started using the Tenba BYOB 10as an insert for a regular old backpack.  Holds the D7100 with the 24-120 attached and a 35 Prime and the Tokina 11-16.

Long lenses get put in the backpack in their soft pouches.

For now, I'm just using the Canon bag that came with my camera when I bought it. It's got just enough room for my camera with the 18-55mm lens attached, as well as my 75-300mm, my charger, and the cable.

I've really been considering one of these Vanguard bags. It will fit everything my current camera bag carries, and has a slot for my 15" laptop if I need to haul it as well. It also has an upper compartment that can be used for things like lenses and more camera gear, your phone, or whatever miscellaneous stuff that you might want to throw in a backpack as opposed carrying in your pocket. It also comes with a full rain cover that completely wrap around the backpack to keep rain and moisture out of your equipment. I'm also really liking the Pelican backpacks too because, well, Pelican.

I'm still honestly on the fence about spending that much money on something to carry my camera, but all the less expensive one's I've looked at online I just haven't really much cared for. Of the 30 or 40 I looked at on Amazon, this is about the only one that I really like in terms of how it carries the camera as well as being able to do double duty as a laptop bag. I also worry about the quality of something cheap not only in a longevity standpoint, but also in terms of how well it's going to protect my investment. I figure if I buy once, cry once and just spend some money on one, it'll last much longer and do a better job of protecting all my gear. As for why I want a backpack, I feel like I'll be much more inclined to take it places with me if it's in something that I can just throw on my back and go, than if it's in a bag that I have to carry on my shoulder and keep up with, which has been the case in the past. Not to mention the fact that I can throw whatever else in the backpack with it, and not have to worry about anything damaging my camera as it's in it's own compartment, so it'll will kind of double as a go-bag for when I hit the trails, camp, or just generally go anywhere.

I know. TL;DR

I use the same camera bag to transfer between different hiking or traveling bags. I originally looked at F-stop ICU bags but couldn't get over their cost and lack of available items in stock. I was glad I came across the Tenba's products.

The backpack inserts work really well for me in a regular backpack.  I usually put a t-shirt or something in the bottom of the pack first for extra protection.  This system works really well for a camera with a walk around lens and a spare prime lens and does not advertise that I am carrying camera gear.

I can fit my D7100 with the 24-120 mounted, the 35 prime, and the 11-16 in that Tenba bag I posted above.  I throw that in a backpack, then maybe also carry the 70-300 in it's pouch seperate in the backpack.  I've even put the 150-600 in there with everything else but that's pushing it.

For more durable travel I have the Pelican 1504 with padded divider set.  Body, all my lenses, straps, etc.  Lemme tell you, it was quite the task moving dividers around to fit the 150-600, 70-300, 35, 11-16, and 24-120 all in there.

I have 3 cases at this point - and have sold/given away a few. But I also have a 4th on my Christmas List (Peak Design messenger bag).

The list looks like:
1. Pelican hard case (small-ish, thought I would never outgrow it, but I did, and never use it now)
2. ApeCase backpack - the big-ish one but not the one with wheels. It is pretty sweet and holds a lot of kit.
3. Lowe-Pro small case (holds the body+lens and either a spare small lens or a flash - it is the fanny-pack or shoulder strap one. love it for what it is)

Come and gone-
1. LowePro Sling bag (200AW?)
2. Lots of the bags that came free with big orders - I think they were mostly Nikon bags, but at least one generic one too.

With both guns and cameras, I find myself always looking for a way to save money on cases and then not saving anything and buying respectable gear.

-shooter

anyone fans of the manfrotto's? 

Manfrotto MB PL-3N1-25 Backpack

I have an Amazon Basics camera backpack that I've actually been pretty impressed with quality wise. It's not pretty like some of the more expensive brands, but for under $40 it is a damn good deal. It currently holds in the main compartment my D500 with battery grip and 150-600 attached, 16-80, 10-24, and 50mm lenses, my SB-500 speedlite, and still has room for a few more things. It also has a padded 17" laptop compartment, and another compartment on the front with storage for smaller accessories like batteries, charger, filters, memory cards etc. It also comes with a rain cover. I'm sure I'll eventually upgrade, but for the moment it works great and was a damn good buy.
https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-DSLR-Laptop-Backpack-interior/dp/B00CF5OGP8/ref=pd_ybh_a_80?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=F2CY8DX07FJ10QSKFCT0&tag=vglnk-c102-20

I'm thinking about this bag but the price has me stalled. Lowepro

Of late, I have three different bags I use.

The Pelican I paid $47 for (normally $100-120) and is great for travelling, albeit heavy at 7# empty.  Can hold everything I need camera wise and still have the 20L compartment to use.  My D7200, 2 primes, and a 70-300mm fit in the hidden padded section.  It's the lumbar padded section on the back of the bag.  Unzips to have a very heavily padded and decently hidden compartment.

Nikon messenger bag is great for general 'around town' but I have flown cross country with it.  Holds the camera with a prime, plus 2 other lenses, my ipad, and assorted small goodies.

Think Geek 'Bag of Holding' is my walking around discreet bag.  It'll hold my D7200 with a prime attached, plus the 70-300 and a few small items without issue.

Oddly enough, Walmart just marked down this Lowepro bag.    Normally $70 everywhere else I looked, is $38.

Lowepro says it's for mirrorless, but looking at the inside, you could probably get a DSLR in it.

That's is tempting at that price but it's a sling type bag.